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Phineas and Ferb Wiki:Newsletter submissions/The Dimension of Doooom!
Fresh off his conquest of his own dimension, 2nd Dr. Doofenshmirtz has expanded his horizons and set his sights on our dimension, and only an unlikely collection of heroes from both dimensions can stop him. That is the charge given to players of Disney's latest Phineas and Ferb online game, The Dimension of Doooom!, which was released two weeks ago on the new Across the 2nd Dimension website. In this game, players can choose from between Phineas, Ferb, 2nd Candace and Agent P as they battle their way through the nine levels of the mines and the Alternate Doofenshmirtz Evil, Inc. building. Gameplay wise, it borrows heavily from Transport-inators of Doooom!, with many game mechanics such as the glider (standard 2nd Fireside Girls issue this time), collection of hundreds of gears on each level, and the end-of-level rewards returning from that game, which I reviewed previously in Issue 17 of this publication. The cleaning and attack robots from the first game return as well, along with bots modeled on both dimensions' versions of Norm, with appropriate quips for each ("Come out, come out, wherever you are..." vs. "Target acquired." to give one example). There are two major differences that bear mention, however. First of all, instead of using the plunger or their paws, each character is equipped with a blaster - this is also what differentiates the characters; Phineas's laser is nearly continuous but is the weakest, while Perry's launcher is the slowest but most damaging, and Ferb and Second Candace are in the middle. The other difference is that due to the genius work of Dr. Baljeet, our heroes can go through portals back into the 1st Dimension, giving the effect of two similar yet different levels within each level. Visually, the Unity Web Player looks impressive as ever, and remains smooth even with the additional graphical demands of the heroes and Norm-bots exchanging laser fire. The game's music is instrumental in nature, allowing players to clearly hear the various chatter within the levels: 2nd Isabella's tips, 2nd Monogram's exposition, Dr. Baljeet's sarcasm, the Norm-bots' quips, and Second Doofenshmirtz's outright taunting, all featuring the trademark Phineas and Ferb humor. While there are only 9 levels in "The Dimension of Doooom!", don't take that to mean that the game lacks replay value. There are secret music tracks to unlock on every level, featuring instrumental versions of Across the 2nd Dimension songs as well as the ever-popular "S.I.M.P. (Squirrels In My Pants)". Three gold trophies are awarded on each level, one for finding the hidden CD, as well as completing the level against a time limit, and collecting 100% of the gears on each level. The 100% trophies are particularly notable for their challenge, as they requiring not only scouring every inch of both dimensions, but also avoiding getting hit, as your character drops 5 gears for every hit they take. Much like the 2nd Dimension it portrays, "The Dimension of Doooom!" feels oddly familiar, yet different, at the same time. Don't take all of the comparisons with "Transport-inators" as a mark against the game, though; those who would dismiss "Dimension" as a mere rehash will miss out on a very good game, one that gets a 9 from me. Once you're done reading this issue of the Gazette, go here and try it out for yourself.